Tag: Urban

I’ve been working on taking weekly trips into the city to walk around and do some street photography. These were taken with my Fuji X-70, a wide angle fixed lens camera that I can easily stash in my backpack. For people with larger pockets, I’ve read it can be stuffed into your pocket. The lower profile is ideal for street photography, as it tends to not draw too much attention to myself. It’s also extremely quiet, and has little noise at high ISOs, so the need for flash isn’t necessary 90% of the time. I can shoot in manual, aperture priority, shutter priority, and can control white balance, noise, and more things that I have yet to explore!

Though the images below were shot with some intention, I do hope to take more street photography that would be more spontaneous and interactive. I will need to work on how to engage if I want to make images that are more intimate. With almost everyone carrying around some sort of camera, I wonder if people are a little more aware of a lens’ gaze, and feel the need to duck, dodge, or photo bomb! Oh well, if they do. But I want to further my reach, both as a photographer, and as a community member. Wish me luck!

The Federal Courthouse in Seattle seems to draw me in every time I pass it. It’s obviously planned environmental and architectural landscaping, but I find it to be lovely. My favorite time of the year to be here is actually during the summer. There is plenty of room for people to sit and enjoy lunch. The steps in front and to the side almost look like an Aztec pyramid. Then there is the circle of steps around the abstract statue that sits on a patch of green. Then, with light tree coverage, you get shade and sun; whatever you’re preference. During the winter it does not get the attention of the office worker hour-lunch crowd. The only ones around are a security guard who patrols the premises and a couple of homeless people who camp on their benches. One day I’ll want to do a proper documentation of this corner, but for now I’ll do my quick studies.